“Aww man, I’m Jackie Robinson
‘Cept when I run base, I dodge the pen
Lucky me, luckily, they didn’t get me
Now when I bring the Nets, I’m the black Brach Rickey”
These “Brooklyn Go Hard” lyrics represent part of the theme song for Christopher Wallace’s, also known as Biggie Smalls, biopic called Notorious. It was only appropriate for the movie’s filmmakers to call upon the latest Brooklynite great, Jay-Z, to convey the borough’s story as an entry way to Wallace’s legacy. Likewise, these very same lyrics personify his own stature and influence within the current pulse of Brooklyn, particularly as the Nets establish roots as the first professional Brooklyn sports franchise since the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Nets have been a marketing marvel more so than a basketball powerhouse throughout this inaugural season. Brook Lopez’s late addition to the all-star game and their 47-33 record still fall short from initial lofty expectations on the court, especially compared to their inner-city rivals, the New York Knicks. Their branding, however, has been a prolonged case study worth examining. After all, it’s not every day—or just any season, rather—that a place with more than 2.5 million residents, effervescent culture, and 55 years of pro sports absence inherits a team.
As Vine appears to be the newest video trend, they launched a Socialcam account—the first sports team to implement any mobile video-sharing platform of its kind, before teams even experimented with Tout. On Twitter, the Nets have extended the “Hello Brooklyn” campaign with its own hashtag all season long and are starting to phase that into the next step, #HELLOPLAYOFFS. Their Tumblr serves as an ongoing collage capturing the season as it unfolds. And this journey has been documented through the league’s “The Association” on NBA TV—all while providing exposure to where everything is housed, the Barclays Center.
Although these distribution outlets have significantly shared this opening season’s message in their respective ways, there’s one medium overlooked in connection with this process: the webisode.
Adidas and the entire city of Chicago are waiting for “The Return of D. Rose”. Kyrie Irving was almost shut down for the remainder of the season, but “Uncle Drew” lives on as Pepsi Max has continued to air ad spots. Additionally, “NBA Rooks” is the league’s attempt to present the 2012 draft class through this prism. These well-known webisodes cater to fans’ digital habits, which is further supported by GMR Marketing’s infographic which states 83 percent of them check social media and 61 percent surf the net during games—not a coincidence that NCAA’s @marchmadness Twitter handle was pushing out video highlights via SnappyTV.
In light of this visual nature among webisodes, the creator that is Jay-Z had his fingertips on producing such a venture. Bruce Ratner, a real estate developer and minority owner of the Nets, spoke to The New York Times about his influence: “He is it. He is us. He is how people are going to see that place.” “That place” Ratner referred to is the borough where the team now calls home. Brett Yormark, the Nets’ Chief Executive Officer, added a moment when Jay-Z told him, “Brett, I’m watching. And every details matters.”
Life+Times is a lifestyle website that launched two years ago and represents Jay-Z’s foray into the digital publishing industry. His first major sports initiative promoted by this vehicle was the YouTube livestream of his own final sold-out concert day at the Barclays Center last fall. This introductory stage opened the possibilities he envisioned for the Nets from the outset, which merges sports, music, and technology as one experience. According to Michael Hirschorn, Iconic TV Co-Founder and Creative Director, this outlet aligns with his attitude to “do things out of the box, do them first, and do them in a surprising way.” Thus, the “Road to Brooklyn” web series purports this vision and authentically conveys the Nets’ story—without going through an intermediary media party to do so.
The opening episode entitled “Down by the Yards” debuted about two weeks before the season. The beat belonging to the aforementioned “Brooklyn Go Hard” lyrics plays as the gateway and unifying theme song throughout this webisode. And they strategically established the best voice to express this story…fellow Brooklynites themselves:
This first installment set the stage and tone—one that’s original, transparent, and objective—for the entire web series. Various Brooklyn natives discussed how the Atlantic Yards Project impacted their community, whom represent different socio-economic classes and age groups. They touched upon the gentrification issue that pervaded the borough during the early developmental stages of the Barclays Center. The producer went insofar as to interview the borough’s president, Marty Markowitz, to find out why it took a long time to construct the promised housing, which he promptly responded: “Yes, there’s a reason for it. Eight years of lawsuits, that’s why.” While there was widespread skepticism surrounding this building’s undertaking, the consensus changed to being “open to change” to gain headway.
Another huge part of the change that took place, though, was the overall branding and logo of the Brooklyn Nets. Opinions have been as varied and as distinct as the ethnic melting pot that resides in the borough. A lot of thought had to have occurred in order to properly depict a communal image. “The Look” examines the controversy behind this new momentous symbol:
The black and white colors divided some Brooklynites. This simplicity split lines of either daringly timeless or boldly dull. When the NBA’s Vice President of Apparel, Christopher Arena, said this enterprise could be “the biggest, most powerful, global icon change in sports in a long, long time,” he wasn’t talking in hyperbole. The Nets are currently fourth among team merchandise sales and Deron Williams is sixth in the players’ list, per the New York Post. The ABA’s blue, red, and white scheme apparently was the closest consideration to a Brooklyn blue palette. Instead, Jay-Z’s firmness for a reincarnation of the old subway signs paved through.
“At the end of the day, a logo or brand, the success of it is really determined by the people,” said designer Jeff Staple. This statement is true in a lot of levels; those aforementioned sales rankings are the beginning signs of what’s bound to grow in the years ahead.
The players, of course, will always be the major drivers of such a movement. Brooklyn’s cachet as a destination has staying power, but the athletes donning these new jerseys and playing in this arena are what fans want to see. Outsiders have pointed out that players like Lopez and Williams won’t resonate with Brooklynites because of their lack of personality. Yet, all they have to do is be themselves and be visible in the neighborhood, as Joe Johnson does with a little help from Rosie Perez in “Brooklyn Welcomes: Joe Johnson”:
Johnson’s laidback persona is quite evident. He’s soft-spoken and cordial towards all the individuals introduced to him by Perez. She does most of the talking—how could she not as a famous Brooklynite actress—but Johnson’s demeanor is natural and doesn’t come off as externally convoluted. Their trip to Gleason’s Boxing Gym showcased a historical place in the borough and loosened up Johnson a bit.
Johnson’s initial impression of this boxing landmark perhaps also describes how unique this webisode is: “I only see this type of stuff on TV.”
In other words, these episodes are so real that they’re unreal. One hasn’t experienced Brooklyn unless one’s living there, or watched this web series.
On the whole, the production quality is top-notch and speaks to the inner-fabric of the borough. The music, transitional edifices graphics, panoramic shots, and first-person accounts contextualize and bring to life the Brooklyn Nets’ arrival. There’s nothing fabricated in this webisode. The topics broached run the gamut of what has transpired during this unprecedented move—ones that wouldn’t otherwise be made for public consumption or portrayed as genuinely. Although there was a downward decline in average user views after the first installment, that has more to do with the internal media outreach than it does with the content’s presentation and message. And for some reason, this webisode wasn’t promoted through the team’s digital and social platforms. The entire 11 episodes of “Road to Brooklyn” can be seen in Life+Times’ YouTube playlist.
Nevertheless, leave it to Jay-Z to have the marketing blueprint for transmedia storytelling. The newly formed Roc Nation Sports clientele of Robinson Cano and Victor Cruz are simply nodding their heads to that new “Open Letter” beat…